2nd Advent Sunday Worship Service December 7, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 29:11
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Hymn JBC # 149 Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC #263 Hover o’er me, Holy Spirit
The Prayer Time
Offering
Scripture John 14:25～31
Prayer
Sermon “Peace of Christ”
Prayer
Hymn JBC# 515 When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
Today we are offering our worship on this second Day of our Lord (Sunday) of Advent, eagerly awaiting the advent of Christmas when Jesus Christ was born.
The Bible passage I have chosen for today is the passage in chapter 14 of John’s gospel where Jesus is talking to his disciples and giving them his final teachings, his final words before dying on the cross.
The reason I chose this passage for this time of advent which celebrates eagerly awaiting the birth of Christ is that Jesus’ words in this passage speak clearly of the true hope and peace which Jesus gives to us.
Chapters 14 to 17 in John’s gospel contain the last words of Jesus that he spoke to his disciples before he was arrested and crucified.
In the first verse in today’s passage, verse 25, Jesus is telling his disciples “All this I have spoken while still with you.”
And in verse 30, it says that Jesus told them “I will not say much more to you,”.
Looking at these words “All this I have spoken while still with you”, and “I will not say much more to you”, it makes me think that Jesus really lived his life on earth without any regrets.
Jesus lived his life on earth as a man with a limited lifespan. There was only so much he was able to say while he was alive.
After Jesus said “I will not say much more to you”, he says “for the prince (ruler)of this world is coming”.
Perhaps when he said that, he meant “since the authorities will soon arrest me, I will not be able to tell you (teach you) much more than I already have”.
Yet at the same time, I think Jesus might also have meant that “I have told you (told the disciples) everything I need to tell you”, and “I have fulfilled the mission entrusted to me by Father God.
From this point on, Jesus is taken and crucified. Jesus had the ultimate mission, of taking all our sins upon himself and dying on the cross.
Yet, before being arrested and dying on the cross, Jesus had told his disciples everything he needed to tell them.
Jesus said everything that needed to be said, telling the disciples God’s word without leaving anything out, so that when he left this world, they would be able to draw strength from God’s word to continue living in faith.
Jesus’ words have been left to us now as the Bible, as the gospel, and even now we can listen to the words of Jesus through the Bible.
What at encouragement that is to us, having the word of God left to us. Isn’t that such a great source of hope and joy for us?
But, the words of the Bible are not easily understood. Amongst the words of the Bible and the words spoken by Jesus, there are difficult passages and parts that are very difficult for us living in this day and age to accept.
However, in today’s passage, Jesus promises that when we listen to or read the words of Scripture, our heavenly father God will send us a helper to teach us about those words.
In verse 26 it says:
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Just as is written, even today the invisible Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is working in our hearts and teaching us the meaning of God’s Word.
If not for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is no way that we would be able to make the words of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus our own.
The Holy Spirit is truly a mysterious being. We believe in the triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is also equal to God.
We may not be able to see the Holy Spirit, but even now the Spirit is surely guiding us, enabling us to listen to and believe in the Scriptures as the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit connects us with the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Father through the Word.
If anyone here thinks “I just don’t really understand what the Bible says”, please open your heart and welcome God’s spirit into your heart, and please open up the scriptures again with that in mind.
And, I also hope that you will all pray that the words of the messages spoken like this in our church, that the Holy Spirit that is the Spirit of God would aid us, that the words spoken here as God’s message would resonate deeply within each and every one of our hearts, and would strengthen us.
Let us also continue living our lives of faith, placing great hope in the power of the Holy Spirit who makes clear the meaning of the Word to us and gives us the strength to live spiritually through the Word.
Let’s look at verse 27.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
At the beginning of today’s worship service, we lit the second Advent candle. The meaning of the second Advent candle is “Peace”.
The second Advent candle is lit to show us that even now, the peace of Christ shines within us and in the world.
Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
What does “peace as the world gives” mean?
One way would be to acquire the power or weapons needed to oppose those who go against you, forcing anyone who won’t heed what you say to listen to you.
Another way would be to acquire financial power and social status, making people listen to you or achieving your desires or getting what you want through money or authority over them.
But Jesus’ promises to give us peace in a way completely different to those ways, a way that we can’t even imagine, and he lived this way himself.
The peace Jesus promised to give us, “my peace, the peace of Christ”, is the peace that comes through Jesus himself, who is equal to God, dying on the cross, bearing all our sins with him on the cross and dying in our place.
Jesus Christ took that sin that we ourselves should have had to bear, and took it onto himself. The price that we should have paid for our sins was instead paid for by Jesus.
To forgive our sins, the evil that destroys peace, Jesus nailed both evil and sin to the cross along with himself.
Jesus did not take on the power of evil by opposing it with more power, but instead he took the power of evil and affixed it to the cross along with himself, rendering evil completely powerless.
The peace that Jesus promised to us, “my peace, the peace of Christ”, is the peace that comes through Jesus himself, who is equal to God, dying on the cross, bearing all our sins with him on the cross and dying in our place.
But with the world the way it is, doesn’t it seem like evil isn’t getting any weaker? That’s certainly true.
We shouldn’t turn our eyes away from the reality of the world where evil seems to be rampant.
Rather than turning our eyes away from the world, shouldn’t we instead turn to the Word of God, and then look again at the reality of society and world through the faith that is given to us?
Looking up at the cross of Christ that has defeated the evil of the world, believing that Jesus has already destroyed the evil of this world on the cross and given us true peace, this is how we can live among the reality of this world.
As Christians who believe in the words of Jesus Christ on the cross who promised us the “Peace of Christ”, let us go on living even amongst the realities of this world, knowing that we have been given the Peace of Christ.
Let’s read the words of Jesus in verse 31, the last verse in today’s passage. I will conclude the message for today’s worship service being guided by these words.
31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
The Son, Jesus Christ, loves God the Father, and he himself was loved by God the Father. Amidst this relationship of love, Jesus lived in obedience to his Father’s commands.
Jesus urged his disciples “Come now; let us leave.”
Even now Jesus urges us to “believe that in this world filled with evil and sin, God already has the victory, and to show that hope to the world”.
As we worship together at church like this, we are blessed to be encouraged and strengthened by God’s voice, and to receive hope.
And when Jesus’ voice says “Come now; let us leave.”, by this we are being sent out from this place to where we live our own lives.
When Jesus said “Come now; let us leave”, the path Jesus was heading out to take in today’s passage was the path towards the cross.
Jesus was setting out towards the place where he would bear the cross to atone for our sins, a burden that only he could bear.
We also set out on the path of faith walking with Jesus, following Him who bore the cross, the heaviest of burdens, for our sakes.
Day by day, let us rise and walk the path of faith alongside Jesus. Even in the tough times, Jesus is with us, that is something we can be sure of.
The Lord takes us by the hand and helps us to rise, and the Lord walks alongside us. Because of this, we can be at peace.
Just as he promised, the Lord Jesus Christ will always be there walking alongside us. As the Savior of peace, he gives peace to us. For this reason, we need have no fear.
The Lord is with us. Jesus Christ, the savior of peace, is the source of our peace.
Without Him, there is no true peace. Let us rejoice greatly that true peace has been given to us through Christ.
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Saturday, November 29, 2025
1st Advent Sunday Worship Service November 30, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship Proverbs 23:18
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Hymn JBC # 146 Com, Thou long-expected Jesus
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC #554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Remembering the World Baptist Prayer Week – Special Hymn
Offering
Scripture Romans 5:1~11
Prayer
Sermon “Hope in the Glory of God”
Prayer
Hymn JBC# 40 O Thou, in whose presence
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
From today the Christian church enters the season of ‘Advent’. This is a special period where we look forward to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Advent is an approximately four week period, including 4 Sundays before Christmas on December 25th.
This year in 2025 from today (November 30th) until Christmas Eve on December 24th (Wed) is Advent.
Jesus Christ was born as a man approximately 2025 years ago. It is a historical fact that Christ was born into this world.
However, Christ is also the Son of God, equal with God, and is God.
Therefore, such a person being born into this world holds a completely different meaning than the birth of any other ordinary person throughout history.
The infinite, eternal, and limitless God was born as a man, and this special event is continuing even now.
The reason the Christian church celebrates Christmas every year as such a special day is that we believe Jesus Christ came to this world is the eternal life and Christ lives through the Holy Spirit and He is with us even now.
Approximately 2025 years ago in what is now Palestine and Israel, Jesus Christ was born. Jesus was raised as a Jew and lived a human life.
Jesus Christ was born into this world to give us immesurable grace and gifts. In order to do so, He offered His own life.
As a representation of the grace that Jesus Christ has given us, we light four candles in Advent, which represent hope, peace, joy, and love.
In today’s Bible passage (Romans 5:1-11) this grace is shown in a concentrated manner.
If we can receive Christ’s blessings of hope, peace, joy, and love, our lives will be blessed and fulfilled beyond anything else.
The first candle of Advent which we lit today represents hope. Let’s listen to what the scripture has to say about hope today.
Hope gives our mind, heart, and soul strength and gives us strength to live.
However, if that hope is built upon our own thoughts and desires, then it is merely temporary and will fade away.
As we live there are things that we want to achieve, objects we desire, and standing we want. The desire for these things can become our hope for a time.
These hopes are not necessarily bad, but if our hopes are based on our own desires, they will not become a proper foundation for supporting the most important part of our lives: our souls.
We need hope that is not of our own making and is unshakeable.
It is a hope that even if times and place change, even if we are put into difficult circumstances (failures or setbacks), it does not change.
This type of hope (a certain hope) is called “the hope in the glory of God” in today’s Bible passage.
The hope of the glory of the eternal Lord who created the world is what we have been given through Christ.
People were originally created to live under the glory of God. However, the Bible teaches that we let go of that through our own volition (sin).
Romans 3:23～24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
“All have sinned”. In other words, we have separated from the God whom we were supposed to be with and serve in order to live self-centeredly.
In ‘Genesis’ in the Old Testament, the first people, Adam and Eve, in defiance to God’s commandments, ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which was the beginning of sin.
Human history since then demonstrates that people began living by the principle that “what is right is what I decide for myself,” “pursuing the hopes and glory they themselves created, and living to attain them.”
To us, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to return to the way of hope—the way that enables us to live within the true glory that only He can give.
Even though we became unable to receive God’s glory of our own will due to our sin, God forgave our sins through Jesus Christ and gave us a second chance to live in His glory.
We can partake in the glory given by the eternal God, demonstrated clearly through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us believe in that hope.
Reading today's Scripture passage carefully, we see that the hope of sharing in God's glory presupposes (requires) suffering.
In order to arrive at true hope which does not falter, we must endure suffering (hardship).
It is said that the experience of suffering gives us the “perseverance (endurance)” to endure any circumstance, and perseverance builds character, and character leads to hope.
I believe that here “perseverance” and “character” are a deepening of faith in the Lord due to relying on Him more in the midst of difficulty.
We all would desire to avoid suffering if possible. However, the Bible says that through after hardships we will be given true hope.
In verse 3 Paul, the author of this letter, even says “we glory in our sufferings.”
We may think that someone who can say such a thing may have an incredible fortitude (strength) of mind and heart.
However, this is not the case. Saying that we also glory in our sufferings is something only someone who understands that we cannot face suffering or overcome it of our own strength.
Only people who understand the truth that we have no strength to overcome, but our Lord is bearing this suffering with us can say such a thing.
Jesus Christ is the one who bears our suffering with us.
Christmas is a time when we give thanks for the birth into this world of the God who became man and shared our burdens.
In our lives we may have to deal with sickness, separation, lifestyle worries, and many other difficulties. Family and relational problems are also painful.
Let’s remember that we do not face these things alone.
The Lord walks with us, and through our faith that the Lord walks with us, we can grow in perseverance, character (learn more and more and experience that God is living with us and supporting us), and unshakeable hope.
Advent and Christmas is a time that we remember the birth of Jesus, who is our Savior and true companion (who lives with us).
The Bible tells us that, form the time He was born, Jesus experienced suffering.
When Jesus was born, the Bible says that Jesus and His family were only provided with a manger where livestock like horses lived.
In a sense, Jesus experienced rejection from the moment he was born and was treated like an outcast. Jesus’ life was far from glorious.
After beginning his public evangelism after turning 30, there times Jesus received praise and honor from people.
However, Jesus never sought such praise from man as true glory.
Through His own way of life and his words, Jesus showed that true glory is only in the Lord God, and that in God’s glory there is true and certain hope.
Jesus told us to live seeking true glory (not uncertain and fickle glory from people).
As written in verse 6 of today’s passage, Jesus died at His appointed time “for the ungodly (people)”.
If now anyone is thinking that they do not understand who they are, what the meaning of their life is, or what the value of their life is, let’s look together to Jesus Christ who died on the cross.
Let us take joy in the birth of Jesus who was born into this world to give His life for us sinners, not for the good and the righteous.
In Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, our purpose in life and worth and God’s limitless love are all clearly shown in.
In living together with the Lord God Jesus Christ, we will certainly experience various suffering. Through enduring that suffering with the Lord, and receiving strength from the Lord in those experiences, we are promised a great and certain hope.
Just as written in verse 5 of today’s passage, that hope does not put us to shame. It is an eternal hope that never ends.
If we surrender ourselves to God and acknowledge that we have nothing of our own worthy of pride or glory, and only seek God’s glory, then God will generously let us live in that glory.
We have various failings each day. There are also many things that may depress us.
However, God richly gives (gave) us glory in Christ and that hope supports us.
Let us partake of the glory of the hope of God which is unchanging and walk in faith daily during this Advent season.
Prelude
Call to Worship Proverbs 23:18
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Hymn JBC # 146 Com, Thou long-expected Jesus
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC #554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Remembering the World Baptist Prayer Week – Special Hymn
Offering
Scripture Romans 5:1~11
Prayer
Sermon “Hope in the Glory of God”
Prayer
Hymn JBC# 40 O Thou, in whose presence
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
From today the Christian church enters the season of ‘Advent’. This is a special period where we look forward to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Advent is an approximately four week period, including 4 Sundays before Christmas on December 25th.
This year in 2025 from today (November 30th) until Christmas Eve on December 24th (Wed) is Advent.
Jesus Christ was born as a man approximately 2025 years ago. It is a historical fact that Christ was born into this world.
However, Christ is also the Son of God, equal with God, and is God.
Therefore, such a person being born into this world holds a completely different meaning than the birth of any other ordinary person throughout history.
The infinite, eternal, and limitless God was born as a man, and this special event is continuing even now.
The reason the Christian church celebrates Christmas every year as such a special day is that we believe Jesus Christ came to this world is the eternal life and Christ lives through the Holy Spirit and He is with us even now.
Approximately 2025 years ago in what is now Palestine and Israel, Jesus Christ was born. Jesus was raised as a Jew and lived a human life.
Jesus Christ was born into this world to give us immesurable grace and gifts. In order to do so, He offered His own life.
As a representation of the grace that Jesus Christ has given us, we light four candles in Advent, which represent hope, peace, joy, and love.
In today’s Bible passage (Romans 5:1-11) this grace is shown in a concentrated manner.
If we can receive Christ’s blessings of hope, peace, joy, and love, our lives will be blessed and fulfilled beyond anything else.
The first candle of Advent which we lit today represents hope. Let’s listen to what the scripture has to say about hope today.
Hope gives our mind, heart, and soul strength and gives us strength to live.
However, if that hope is built upon our own thoughts and desires, then it is merely temporary and will fade away.
As we live there are things that we want to achieve, objects we desire, and standing we want. The desire for these things can become our hope for a time.
These hopes are not necessarily bad, but if our hopes are based on our own desires, they will not become a proper foundation for supporting the most important part of our lives: our souls.
We need hope that is not of our own making and is unshakeable.
It is a hope that even if times and place change, even if we are put into difficult circumstances (failures or setbacks), it does not change.
This type of hope (a certain hope) is called “the hope in the glory of God” in today’s Bible passage.
The hope of the glory of the eternal Lord who created the world is what we have been given through Christ.
People were originally created to live under the glory of God. However, the Bible teaches that we let go of that through our own volition (sin).
Romans 3:23～24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
“All have sinned”. In other words, we have separated from the God whom we were supposed to be with and serve in order to live self-centeredly.
In ‘Genesis’ in the Old Testament, the first people, Adam and Eve, in defiance to God’s commandments, ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which was the beginning of sin.
Human history since then demonstrates that people began living by the principle that “what is right is what I decide for myself,” “pursuing the hopes and glory they themselves created, and living to attain them.”
To us, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to return to the way of hope—the way that enables us to live within the true glory that only He can give.
Even though we became unable to receive God’s glory of our own will due to our sin, God forgave our sins through Jesus Christ and gave us a second chance to live in His glory.
We can partake in the glory given by the eternal God, demonstrated clearly through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us believe in that hope.
Reading today's Scripture passage carefully, we see that the hope of sharing in God's glory presupposes (requires) suffering.
In order to arrive at true hope which does not falter, we must endure suffering (hardship).
It is said that the experience of suffering gives us the “perseverance (endurance)” to endure any circumstance, and perseverance builds character, and character leads to hope.
I believe that here “perseverance” and “character” are a deepening of faith in the Lord due to relying on Him more in the midst of difficulty.
We all would desire to avoid suffering if possible. However, the Bible says that through after hardships we will be given true hope.
In verse 3 Paul, the author of this letter, even says “we glory in our sufferings.”
We may think that someone who can say such a thing may have an incredible fortitude (strength) of mind and heart.
However, this is not the case. Saying that we also glory in our sufferings is something only someone who understands that we cannot face suffering or overcome it of our own strength.
Only people who understand the truth that we have no strength to overcome, but our Lord is bearing this suffering with us can say such a thing.
Jesus Christ is the one who bears our suffering with us.
Christmas is a time when we give thanks for the birth into this world of the God who became man and shared our burdens.
In our lives we may have to deal with sickness, separation, lifestyle worries, and many other difficulties. Family and relational problems are also painful.
Let’s remember that we do not face these things alone.
The Lord walks with us, and through our faith that the Lord walks with us, we can grow in perseverance, character (learn more and more and experience that God is living with us and supporting us), and unshakeable hope.
Advent and Christmas is a time that we remember the birth of Jesus, who is our Savior and true companion (who lives with us).
The Bible tells us that, form the time He was born, Jesus experienced suffering.
When Jesus was born, the Bible says that Jesus and His family were only provided with a manger where livestock like horses lived.
In a sense, Jesus experienced rejection from the moment he was born and was treated like an outcast. Jesus’ life was far from glorious.
After beginning his public evangelism after turning 30, there times Jesus received praise and honor from people.
However, Jesus never sought such praise from man as true glory.
Through His own way of life and his words, Jesus showed that true glory is only in the Lord God, and that in God’s glory there is true and certain hope.
Jesus told us to live seeking true glory (not uncertain and fickle glory from people).
As written in verse 6 of today’s passage, Jesus died at His appointed time “for the ungodly (people)”.
If now anyone is thinking that they do not understand who they are, what the meaning of their life is, or what the value of their life is, let’s look together to Jesus Christ who died on the cross.
Let us take joy in the birth of Jesus who was born into this world to give His life for us sinners, not for the good and the righteous.
In Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, our purpose in life and worth and God’s limitless love are all clearly shown in.
In living together with the Lord God Jesus Christ, we will certainly experience various suffering. Through enduring that suffering with the Lord, and receiving strength from the Lord in those experiences, we are promised a great and certain hope.
Just as written in verse 5 of today’s passage, that hope does not put us to shame. It is an eternal hope that never ends.
If we surrender ourselves to God and acknowledge that we have nothing of our own worthy of pride or glory, and only seek God’s glory, then God will generously let us live in that glory.
We have various failings each day. There are also many things that may depress us.
However, God richly gives (gave) us glory in Christ and that hope supports us.
Let us partake of the glory of the hope of God which is unchanging and walk in faith daily during this Advent season.
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Sunday Worship Service November 23, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship 1 Peter 3:15
Hymn JBC # 146 Thou didst leave Thy throne
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Offering
Scripture 1 Kings 8:27~29, 41~43
Prayer
Sermon “All the people of the earth may know your name”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 384 I love to tell the story
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
Today, I will deliver a worship message commemorating the “Baptist World Prayer Week,” a week of prayer promoted by the Japan Baptist Women's Union.
To be precise, this year's Baptist World Prayer Week runs from next Sunday, November 30th, through Sunday, December 7th.
Though it's a week early, in today's message, as we remember the Baptist World Prayer Week, we want to listen to God's message.
During the Baptist World Prayer Week, we remember in prayer the various missionary works both domestically and internationally promoted and supported by the Japan Baptist Women's Union, and we remember and pray for those who serve in these ministries.
The specific details of their work will be introduced by the members of our Women's Group in next week's worship service.
Any missionary (evangelical) work requires the prior, and ongoing prayer of fellow Christians and their continuous support based on prayers.
Fortunately, our church is a member of the Japan Baptist Convention, a nationwide missionary cooperation organization. Our church continues to be supported by the prayers of the churches and missions connected to the Convention.
And not only are we supported, but do we also remember the churches connected to the Convention and the work of the Convention, by offering our prayers and support.
I understand that the Baptist World Prayer Week is also an opportunity for us to confirm that we support one another through prayer, and it is an opportunity for us to rejoice that we can do so.
This year, we have been hearing God's word as our worship messages from the Book of Acts in the New Testament.
Today, let us take time to hear God's message from a prayer found not in the New Testament, but in 1 Kings chapter 8 of the Old Testament. Let us also reflect on the missionary work being done both domestically and abroad, and on the workers involved in that work.
The book of 1 Kings, chapter 8, is largely comprised of a prayer offered by Solomon, who succeeded his father King David as king of Israel, after completing the construction of the temple.
Solomon's prayer in this chapter teaches us many valuable lessons about prayer.
How do you all perceive prayer?
Some may think prayer is difficult and hard to do. Certainly, prayer can be difficult. Yet prayer is also a source of great, great joy for Christians.
One of the gifts Christians receive from God, a grace so precious it could be called the most precious gift is prayer.
Today's passage from Solomon's prayer teaches us that prayer draws us closer to God and also draws us closer to others beyond ourselves.
I believe it is fair to say that the Christian walk is one in which the joy of praying to God increases, and in which one grows closer to God and to others through prayer.
I myself pray to God, saying, “I want to acquire the joy of prayer more and more,” “I want to know the joy of prayer. Please teach me the joy of prayer.”
I once heard a story from someone who visited our church for the first time, saying that they were deeply moved and impressed by the sight of Christians (us) praying in church.
The day that person came was the first Sunday of the month, a day when our worship service included a “prayer time.”
That person said they were deeply moved and impressed by the fact that we pray together in church, remembering each other, as well as pray for the society and the world.
Of course, prayer is not something we do to be seen by others. Yet the very act of our fervent praying also conveys to others one important aspect of faith, the joy of being able to pray to God, the joy of connecting with Him.
How wonderful and joyful it is that our prayers can convey, even a little, the magnificence of God who hears our prayers.
We desire to know more about the joy of prayer, as well as the power and effect (influence) that prayer possesses.
Solomon fulfilled his father King David's wish and completed the magnificent temple. Over seven years, using vast quantities of materials and labor, King Solomon completed the temple for the Lord God.
Yet even after accomplishing such a great undertaking, Solomon's heart remained humble before God. Let us listen once more to the opening words of Solomon's prayer in today's passage.
27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!
The temple Solomon completed was incredibly massive and majestic for its time.
Therefore, I think it would not be surprising at all if Solomon had become consumed by pride, declaring, “This is what I have accomplished.”
However, Solomon never boasted about the temple construction project he had accomplished. For he never forgot how great God truly is.
People must have marveled at the newly built, immense and majestic temple, and also at Solomon's immense wealth.
But Solomon himself knew well that this temple (and his wealth) was nothing compared to the greatness of God.
”God does not dwell on earth. Heaven, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.”
“How much less this temple I have built!” Solomon prayed.
Solomon is NOT being submissive (debasing himself) here.
Rather, Solomon knew well, or had been made to know how small and insignificant he was in relation to God, and how little value anything he accomplish on earth held before God.
This shows just how intimate and rich Solomon's relationship with God was.
It may sound paradoxical, (as if it is saying two contradictory things) but the more we build a rich and intimate relationship with God, the more we come to know how small and insignificant we are, and how little we amount to before Him.
We desire to remember that intimate prayer to God, a rich relationship with God, humbles us before Him and causes us to just bow down before His greatness.
We also wish to reaffirm today who (what kind of person) on earth it is that hears our prayers.
It is God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who sent Jesus Christ to earth for our salvation (the salvation of Christ we definitely need!) and gave His life on the cross.
Such a God hears our prayers.
Therefore, when we pray, we desire to be believers who sincerely pray with hearts that say, “Please hear the prayer I offer,” like Solomon's prayer in today's passage, rather than assuming, “Of course God will surely hear my prayer.”
Let me repeat: that God hears our prayers is never something to be taken for granted.
Let us now consider the extraordinary grace that allows us to ask and pray for anything from God in the name of Jesus.
Let us read 1 John (letter) 5:14
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
We desire to deepen our conviction and joy that by building a rich and intimate relationship with God, offering prayers in accordance with His will, and we will be convinced that those prayers will surely be heard by Him.
I would like to turn our attention to the passage beginning at Chapter 8 Verse 41 of today’s verse. From there, Solomon's prayer extends to “the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel.”
The people of Israel were strongly convinced that they were a special people chosen by God, a special people who embraced Abraham, the father of faith.
However, this time’s Solomon's prayer already clearly expresses God's desire that the Lord God's grace would extend to gentiles too, over the people of Israel, foreigners (from the Jew’s perspective), and all peoples.
King Solomon prayed, “May the name of the Lord be widely proclaimed, and may the Gentiles who have come to believe in God also be able to come to this temple. And when they pray, may You also hear their prayers.”
Solomon offered a prayer here, envisioning a temple where all peoples from various nations and regions would gather.
Solomon offered his prayer here, envisioning a temple where all the people would gather, pray together, and offer worship, a temple based on that very dream (vision).
Here in Beppu, where people from many countries and regions gather, we at Beppu International Baptist Church have been granted a vision for mission and permitted to stand as a Christian church. It is here that people from many nations come together.
What binds us together in this way is not the work of human hands or our desires. It is the grace of Jesus Christ, the power of the gospel of Christ.
Jesus died on the cross for me. Christians are kept alive by that grace. As an expression of gratitude and response to that grace, we gather in church.
The precious grace of Jesus Christ, Christ's grace alone, binds us together as one.
And the solidarity among us, being forged by the grace of Jesus Christ, solidarity among Christians, solidarity among churches transforms us into those who pray for one another.
The Lord God uses us, bound together by His grace and made to pray for each other, for the work of His gospel ministry.
At the recent our church’s organization anniversary service, we took time to reflect on our church's journey and history thus far.
In the past, the prayers of our spiritual forebears, along with earnest prayers and generous offerings from overseas, particularly from Baptist churches in America were given to us.
We know that missionaries were sent all the way to Japan to carry out the work of evangelism in Japan.
We wish to remember and give thanks once more for the believers who, in an era when traveling overseas was far from easy as it is today, concretely envisioned and prayed for the gospel mission in distant Japan, sent out missionaries, and offered precious donations.
And we desire to pass on the grace we have received, that very grace, to others who need the gospel of the Lord.
We desire to serve in the gospel ministry within the community where we live, and let us remember and support with prayer and offerings for those workers serving in the gospel ministry in distant lands.
Let us rejoice that we may share in the work of being sustained by the gospel of Christ and proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
Prelude
Call to Worship 1 Peter 3:15
Hymn JBC # 146 Thou didst leave Thy throne
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Offering
Scripture 1 Kings 8:27~29, 41~43
Prayer
Sermon “All the people of the earth may know your name”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 384 I love to tell the story
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
Today, I will deliver a worship message commemorating the “Baptist World Prayer Week,” a week of prayer promoted by the Japan Baptist Women's Union.
To be precise, this year's Baptist World Prayer Week runs from next Sunday, November 30th, through Sunday, December 7th.
Though it's a week early, in today's message, as we remember the Baptist World Prayer Week, we want to listen to God's message.
During the Baptist World Prayer Week, we remember in prayer the various missionary works both domestically and internationally promoted and supported by the Japan Baptist Women's Union, and we remember and pray for those who serve in these ministries.
The specific details of their work will be introduced by the members of our Women's Group in next week's worship service.
Any missionary (evangelical) work requires the prior, and ongoing prayer of fellow Christians and their continuous support based on prayers.
Fortunately, our church is a member of the Japan Baptist Convention, a nationwide missionary cooperation organization. Our church continues to be supported by the prayers of the churches and missions connected to the Convention.
And not only are we supported, but do we also remember the churches connected to the Convention and the work of the Convention, by offering our prayers and support.
I understand that the Baptist World Prayer Week is also an opportunity for us to confirm that we support one another through prayer, and it is an opportunity for us to rejoice that we can do so.
This year, we have been hearing God's word as our worship messages from the Book of Acts in the New Testament.
Today, let us take time to hear God's message from a prayer found not in the New Testament, but in 1 Kings chapter 8 of the Old Testament. Let us also reflect on the missionary work being done both domestically and abroad, and on the workers involved in that work.
The book of 1 Kings, chapter 8, is largely comprised of a prayer offered by Solomon, who succeeded his father King David as king of Israel, after completing the construction of the temple.
Solomon's prayer in this chapter teaches us many valuable lessons about prayer.
How do you all perceive prayer?
Some may think prayer is difficult and hard to do. Certainly, prayer can be difficult. Yet prayer is also a source of great, great joy for Christians.
One of the gifts Christians receive from God, a grace so precious it could be called the most precious gift is prayer.
Today's passage from Solomon's prayer teaches us that prayer draws us closer to God and also draws us closer to others beyond ourselves.
I believe it is fair to say that the Christian walk is one in which the joy of praying to God increases, and in which one grows closer to God and to others through prayer.
I myself pray to God, saying, “I want to acquire the joy of prayer more and more,” “I want to know the joy of prayer. Please teach me the joy of prayer.”
I once heard a story from someone who visited our church for the first time, saying that they were deeply moved and impressed by the sight of Christians (us) praying in church.
The day that person came was the first Sunday of the month, a day when our worship service included a “prayer time.”
That person said they were deeply moved and impressed by the fact that we pray together in church, remembering each other, as well as pray for the society and the world.
Of course, prayer is not something we do to be seen by others. Yet the very act of our fervent praying also conveys to others one important aspect of faith, the joy of being able to pray to God, the joy of connecting with Him.
How wonderful and joyful it is that our prayers can convey, even a little, the magnificence of God who hears our prayers.
We desire to know more about the joy of prayer, as well as the power and effect (influence) that prayer possesses.
Solomon fulfilled his father King David's wish and completed the magnificent temple. Over seven years, using vast quantities of materials and labor, King Solomon completed the temple for the Lord God.
Yet even after accomplishing such a great undertaking, Solomon's heart remained humble before God. Let us listen once more to the opening words of Solomon's prayer in today's passage.
27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!
The temple Solomon completed was incredibly massive and majestic for its time.
Therefore, I think it would not be surprising at all if Solomon had become consumed by pride, declaring, “This is what I have accomplished.”
However, Solomon never boasted about the temple construction project he had accomplished. For he never forgot how great God truly is.
People must have marveled at the newly built, immense and majestic temple, and also at Solomon's immense wealth.
But Solomon himself knew well that this temple (and his wealth) was nothing compared to the greatness of God.
”God does not dwell on earth. Heaven, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.”
“How much less this temple I have built!” Solomon prayed.
Solomon is NOT being submissive (debasing himself) here.
Rather, Solomon knew well, or had been made to know how small and insignificant he was in relation to God, and how little value anything he accomplish on earth held before God.
This shows just how intimate and rich Solomon's relationship with God was.
It may sound paradoxical, (as if it is saying two contradictory things) but the more we build a rich and intimate relationship with God, the more we come to know how small and insignificant we are, and how little we amount to before Him.
We desire to remember that intimate prayer to God, a rich relationship with God, humbles us before Him and causes us to just bow down before His greatness.
We also wish to reaffirm today who (what kind of person) on earth it is that hears our prayers.
It is God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who sent Jesus Christ to earth for our salvation (the salvation of Christ we definitely need!) and gave His life on the cross.
Such a God hears our prayers.
Therefore, when we pray, we desire to be believers who sincerely pray with hearts that say, “Please hear the prayer I offer,” like Solomon's prayer in today's passage, rather than assuming, “Of course God will surely hear my prayer.”
Let me repeat: that God hears our prayers is never something to be taken for granted.
Let us now consider the extraordinary grace that allows us to ask and pray for anything from God in the name of Jesus.
Let us read 1 John (letter) 5:14
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
We desire to deepen our conviction and joy that by building a rich and intimate relationship with God, offering prayers in accordance with His will, and we will be convinced that those prayers will surely be heard by Him.
I would like to turn our attention to the passage beginning at Chapter 8 Verse 41 of today’s verse. From there, Solomon's prayer extends to “the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel.”
The people of Israel were strongly convinced that they were a special people chosen by God, a special people who embraced Abraham, the father of faith.
However, this time’s Solomon's prayer already clearly expresses God's desire that the Lord God's grace would extend to gentiles too, over the people of Israel, foreigners (from the Jew’s perspective), and all peoples.
King Solomon prayed, “May the name of the Lord be widely proclaimed, and may the Gentiles who have come to believe in God also be able to come to this temple. And when they pray, may You also hear their prayers.”
Solomon offered a prayer here, envisioning a temple where all peoples from various nations and regions would gather.
Solomon offered his prayer here, envisioning a temple where all the people would gather, pray together, and offer worship, a temple based on that very dream (vision).
Here in Beppu, where people from many countries and regions gather, we at Beppu International Baptist Church have been granted a vision for mission and permitted to stand as a Christian church. It is here that people from many nations come together.
What binds us together in this way is not the work of human hands or our desires. It is the grace of Jesus Christ, the power of the gospel of Christ.
Jesus died on the cross for me. Christians are kept alive by that grace. As an expression of gratitude and response to that grace, we gather in church.
The precious grace of Jesus Christ, Christ's grace alone, binds us together as one.
And the solidarity among us, being forged by the grace of Jesus Christ, solidarity among Christians, solidarity among churches transforms us into those who pray for one another.
The Lord God uses us, bound together by His grace and made to pray for each other, for the work of His gospel ministry.
At the recent our church’s organization anniversary service, we took time to reflect on our church's journey and history thus far.
In the past, the prayers of our spiritual forebears, along with earnest prayers and generous offerings from overseas, particularly from Baptist churches in America were given to us.
We know that missionaries were sent all the way to Japan to carry out the work of evangelism in Japan.
We wish to remember and give thanks once more for the believers who, in an era when traveling overseas was far from easy as it is today, concretely envisioned and prayed for the gospel mission in distant Japan, sent out missionaries, and offered precious donations.
And we desire to pass on the grace we have received, that very grace, to others who need the gospel of the Lord.
We desire to serve in the gospel ministry within the community where we live, and let us remember and support with prayer and offerings for those workers serving in the gospel ministry in distant lands.
Let us rejoice that we may share in the work of being sustained by the gospel of Christ and proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Sunday Worship Service November 16, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
Hymn JBC# 105 There is sunshine in my soul today
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Offering
Scripture Acts 9:1~19a
Prayer
Sermon "You will be told what you must do"
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 339 The church’s one foundation
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements
Since the beginning of this year, we have been reading the New Testament book of Acts as our bible passage in worship service. Today, we will be reading from Chapter 9.
Today's passage describes the dramatic conversion of Saul (later known as Paul), in which he was transformed from a persecutor who violently persecuted those who followed Christ into a believer in Christ and a zealous evangelist who spread the word about Christ.
Every Christian has had a conversion experience, a change from not believing in Christ to believing in Christ.
Some people may have Christian family members or guardians and have been attending church since childhood.
In such cases, the change (circumstances) that led to faith in Christ may not necessarily be clear (or at least, there may not be much awareness of it).
However, in our Baptist church in particular, we place great importance on the practice of publicly confessing one's faith and being baptized to become a Christian based on one's own clear desire and decision.
Baptism is not just a ritual (a formality), but a very significant event in that it represents a believer's new birth (conversion).
In my case, I was baptized 26 years ago.
I was not born and raised in a Christian home.
When people hear that I became a Christian and even became a pastor, they often ask me, "What was the trigger that led you to become a Christian and even to become a pastor?"
The initial trigger was when I met my current wife, who was a Christian. She invited me to church, encouraged me to read the Bible, and prayed fervently for me.
In addition, so many people from the church prayed for me.
Through being led into the fellowship of the church, being exposed to the words of the Bible, and having many people pray for me, I was led to the decision to believe in Christ.
In my case, it was not a dramatic (instant) event, as described in today's passage, where a light suddenly shone from heaven and I heard the voice of the resurrected Jesus directly.
However, in my case too, I believe it was a major turning point, a conversion, in the sense that it changed (changed direction) my way of life, which had been self-centered, and I (at the very least) decided to live my life with Jesus, rather than myself, at the center of my life.
The reason I was able to make this decision was because God had already performed the gracious act of having Jesus Christ die on the cross to atone for my sins, forgive me, and give me eternal life and hope through his resurrection.
Through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the way for our salvation has already been prepared.
We believe this and want to be grateful for the blessing of being able to walk the path of salvation prepared by God, the path of hope that leads to eternal life.
In today's passage, Saul was planning to find "anyone who followed the Way, whether male or female, and bring them bound to Jerusalem." He received permission to do so from the high priest.
"Those who belong to the Way" refers to those who believe in Jesus Christ and walk the path of Christ (those who practice their faith).
Saul was never going to show any mercy to anyone as long as they believed in Christ.
That's how thorough Saul's attitude towards persecution was.
To Saul, anyone who claimed to be a follower of Christ was intolerable, regardless of who they actually were.
Anyone who followed this path, who said he was following Christ, was his enemy.
When people are driven by anger and resentment, they are unable to focus on the existence of each actual (living) person, their individuality and character, just as Saul did when he viewed all Christians as the enemy.
Excessive feelings of anger and resentment thus rob us of sound judgment.
I hope that we can cherish the ability to care for the existence of each and every person and the heart of each and every person we meet.
As Saul hurried along the road to Damascus, excited and ready to arrest and persecute anyone who followed the way of Christ, a light shone from heaven.
Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to him.
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
The voice was that of the Lord Jesus Christ, who spoke to Saul by name, "Saul, Saul."
To Saul, all Christians were his enemies, enemies to be persecuted, and it didn't matter to him that they all had names.
The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ called out to Saul by his name, "Saul, Saul." Calling someone by their name means acknowledging and respecting their character.
Our Lord God is the one who calls each of us by name. He calls us by name and recognizes each of us as a special person before Him.
God calls each of us by name, and He knows everything about us, even our innermost hearts. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that we are known and treasured by such a God.
The voice of the Lord told Saul, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (verse 6).
I have chosen the Lord's words, "You will be told what you must do," as the title of today's message.
Up until then, Saul had been violently persecuting Christians out of his own volition and anger, and he may even have thought that this was righteous before God.
However, I believe that in today's passage, the Lord is telling Saul, "Stop living your life based on your own thoughts and beliefs, and live by listening to and obeying the voice from outside that is shown to you, the voice of God."
This is a message that is also directed at us: we should not be self-centered, but rather seek out what God wants for us, what God's will is as revealed to us by God and through the people around us, and listen to and live in obedience to it.
A Christian is someone who has decided to stop putting oneself at the center of themselves.
We want to be people who are not self-centered, but who allow God to enter the center of our hearts and live according to what God shows us.
At that time, Saul was on his way to Damascus, where a disciple of Christ named Ananias was, and the Lord appeared to him in a vision and told him to go to the house where Saul was.
To Ananias (and not just to Ananias, but to many Christians), Saul was a horrible man.
It was widely known that Saul was a violent persecutor of the followers of Christ, and Ananias was certainly aware of this.
I believe that Ananias' words in verses 13-14 express his feelings that he absolutely did not want to go to such a man.
But the Lord said of Saul, "This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."
This word "instrument" is also very important. We are instruments chosen by God. We are instruments to receive God's Word, God's love, and the Gospel, and to share the Gospel with others.
God uses us as instruments (vessel) to spread His gospel.
As God's "vessels," God expects us to live by surrendering control to God, who uses those vessels.
Are we ready to live as such a "vessel"? Are we ready to live in obedience to God as a vessel through which God can use us to spread His gospel, His good news?
Or will we cling to ourselves and continue to live self-centered lives?
We are created by God. As created by God, we can live our truest lives when we live according to God's plan and as vessels serving the great purpose that God has ordained.
Therefore, let us renew our resolve and determination to become believers who live as God's "vessels."
Ananias obeyed the voice of the Lord and went to Saul's house as instructed by the Lord. Ananias laid his hands on Saul and he called out to him, "Brother Saul."
Unless Ananias had been led by the Lord to meet Saul, for Ananias, Saul was not someone he could call “brother” (a fellow believer).
However, Saul, whom the Lord had brought together with Ananias, was now his “brother.” We too call each other “brothers and sisters,” especially those in the family of faith (friends) whom God has brought together with us.
How fortunate we are that we believe in the same God, that God has brought us together, that we are a family of faith, and that we can call each other "brothers and sisters."
First, I talked about the trigger that led each of us to become a Christian. In my case, as I mentioned, the first direct trigger was meeting my wife.
From then on, I was accepted, supported, and loved at the church I was led to, and the people of the church poured out their fervent prayers on me, even though I was selfish and cheeky.
God has put me in contact with so many people who pray for me.
I believe that their prayers and wishes led to my decision to live by faith in Christ and to serve as a pastor.
Prayer is a great blessing (gift) that we as a church have received from God, and at the same time, it is also an important responsibility.
We can pray to the true God, and we can remember and pray for one another, and it is our Christian responsibility to do so.
In today's passage, Saul experiences a dramatic conversion, but Ananias, who placed his hands on him and prayed, would continue to be a special person to Saul and a friend in faith.
Let us each have friends in faith, and as we become new friends in faith, let us pray for others and live in relationships of prayer for one another.
We can live in joy as members of God's family, relating to one another, calling one another by name, and praying together in encounters of faith.
Let’s live such a blessed faith.
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
Hymn JBC# 105 There is sunshine in my soul today
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554 All the way my Saviour leads me
Offering
Scripture Acts 9:1~19a
Prayer
Sermon "You will be told what you must do"
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 339 The church’s one foundation
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements
Since the beginning of this year, we have been reading the New Testament book of Acts as our bible passage in worship service. Today, we will be reading from Chapter 9.
Today's passage describes the dramatic conversion of Saul (later known as Paul), in which he was transformed from a persecutor who violently persecuted those who followed Christ into a believer in Christ and a zealous evangelist who spread the word about Christ.
Every Christian has had a conversion experience, a change from not believing in Christ to believing in Christ.
Some people may have Christian family members or guardians and have been attending church since childhood.
In such cases, the change (circumstances) that led to faith in Christ may not necessarily be clear (or at least, there may not be much awareness of it).
However, in our Baptist church in particular, we place great importance on the practice of publicly confessing one's faith and being baptized to become a Christian based on one's own clear desire and decision.
Baptism is not just a ritual (a formality), but a very significant event in that it represents a believer's new birth (conversion).
In my case, I was baptized 26 years ago.
I was not born and raised in a Christian home.
When people hear that I became a Christian and even became a pastor, they often ask me, "What was the trigger that led you to become a Christian and even to become a pastor?"
The initial trigger was when I met my current wife, who was a Christian. She invited me to church, encouraged me to read the Bible, and prayed fervently for me.
In addition, so many people from the church prayed for me.
Through being led into the fellowship of the church, being exposed to the words of the Bible, and having many people pray for me, I was led to the decision to believe in Christ.
In my case, it was not a dramatic (instant) event, as described in today's passage, where a light suddenly shone from heaven and I heard the voice of the resurrected Jesus directly.
However, in my case too, I believe it was a major turning point, a conversion, in the sense that it changed (changed direction) my way of life, which had been self-centered, and I (at the very least) decided to live my life with Jesus, rather than myself, at the center of my life.
The reason I was able to make this decision was because God had already performed the gracious act of having Jesus Christ die on the cross to atone for my sins, forgive me, and give me eternal life and hope through his resurrection.
Through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the way for our salvation has already been prepared.
We believe this and want to be grateful for the blessing of being able to walk the path of salvation prepared by God, the path of hope that leads to eternal life.
In today's passage, Saul was planning to find "anyone who followed the Way, whether male or female, and bring them bound to Jerusalem." He received permission to do so from the high priest.
"Those who belong to the Way" refers to those who believe in Jesus Christ and walk the path of Christ (those who practice their faith).
Saul was never going to show any mercy to anyone as long as they believed in Christ.
That's how thorough Saul's attitude towards persecution was.
To Saul, anyone who claimed to be a follower of Christ was intolerable, regardless of who they actually were.
Anyone who followed this path, who said he was following Christ, was his enemy.
When people are driven by anger and resentment, they are unable to focus on the existence of each actual (living) person, their individuality and character, just as Saul did when he viewed all Christians as the enemy.
Excessive feelings of anger and resentment thus rob us of sound judgment.
I hope that we can cherish the ability to care for the existence of each and every person and the heart of each and every person we meet.
As Saul hurried along the road to Damascus, excited and ready to arrest and persecute anyone who followed the way of Christ, a light shone from heaven.
Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to him.
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
The voice was that of the Lord Jesus Christ, who spoke to Saul by name, "Saul, Saul."
To Saul, all Christians were his enemies, enemies to be persecuted, and it didn't matter to him that they all had names.
The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ called out to Saul by his name, "Saul, Saul." Calling someone by their name means acknowledging and respecting their character.
Our Lord God is the one who calls each of us by name. He calls us by name and recognizes each of us as a special person before Him.
God calls each of us by name, and He knows everything about us, even our innermost hearts. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that we are known and treasured by such a God.
The voice of the Lord told Saul, "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (verse 6).
I have chosen the Lord's words, "You will be told what you must do," as the title of today's message.
Up until then, Saul had been violently persecuting Christians out of his own volition and anger, and he may even have thought that this was righteous before God.
However, I believe that in today's passage, the Lord is telling Saul, "Stop living your life based on your own thoughts and beliefs, and live by listening to and obeying the voice from outside that is shown to you, the voice of God."
This is a message that is also directed at us: we should not be self-centered, but rather seek out what God wants for us, what God's will is as revealed to us by God and through the people around us, and listen to and live in obedience to it.
A Christian is someone who has decided to stop putting oneself at the center of themselves.
We want to be people who are not self-centered, but who allow God to enter the center of our hearts and live according to what God shows us.
At that time, Saul was on his way to Damascus, where a disciple of Christ named Ananias was, and the Lord appeared to him in a vision and told him to go to the house where Saul was.
To Ananias (and not just to Ananias, but to many Christians), Saul was a horrible man.
It was widely known that Saul was a violent persecutor of the followers of Christ, and Ananias was certainly aware of this.
I believe that Ananias' words in verses 13-14 express his feelings that he absolutely did not want to go to such a man.
But the Lord said of Saul, "This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."
This word "instrument" is also very important. We are instruments chosen by God. We are instruments to receive God's Word, God's love, and the Gospel, and to share the Gospel with others.
God uses us as instruments (vessel) to spread His gospel.
As God's "vessels," God expects us to live by surrendering control to God, who uses those vessels.
Are we ready to live as such a "vessel"? Are we ready to live in obedience to God as a vessel through which God can use us to spread His gospel, His good news?
Or will we cling to ourselves and continue to live self-centered lives?
We are created by God. As created by God, we can live our truest lives when we live according to God's plan and as vessels serving the great purpose that God has ordained.
Therefore, let us renew our resolve and determination to become believers who live as God's "vessels."
Ananias obeyed the voice of the Lord and went to Saul's house as instructed by the Lord. Ananias laid his hands on Saul and he called out to him, "Brother Saul."
Unless Ananias had been led by the Lord to meet Saul, for Ananias, Saul was not someone he could call “brother” (a fellow believer).
However, Saul, whom the Lord had brought together with Ananias, was now his “brother.” We too call each other “brothers and sisters,” especially those in the family of faith (friends) whom God has brought together with us.
How fortunate we are that we believe in the same God, that God has brought us together, that we are a family of faith, and that we can call each other "brothers and sisters."
First, I talked about the trigger that led each of us to become a Christian. In my case, as I mentioned, the first direct trigger was meeting my wife.
From then on, I was accepted, supported, and loved at the church I was led to, and the people of the church poured out their fervent prayers on me, even though I was selfish and cheeky.
God has put me in contact with so many people who pray for me.
I believe that their prayers and wishes led to my decision to live by faith in Christ and to serve as a pastor.
Prayer is a great blessing (gift) that we as a church have received from God, and at the same time, it is also an important responsibility.
We can pray to the true God, and we can remember and pray for one another, and it is our Christian responsibility to do so.
In today's passage, Saul experiences a dramatic conversion, but Ananias, who placed his hands on him and prayed, would continue to be a special person to Saul and a friend in faith.
Let us each have friends in faith, and as we become new friends in faith, let us pray for others and live in relationships of prayer for one another.
We can live in joy as members of God's family, relating to one another, calling one another by name, and praying together in encounters of faith.
Let’s live such a blessed faith.
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Sunday Worship Service November 9, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 121:7~8
Hymn JBC # 125
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554
Offering
Thanksgiving to our church anniversary
Special Hymn
Scripture John 14:6
Prayer
Sermon “Step on me and Go”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 534
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 121:7~8
Hymn JBC # 125
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 554
Offering
Thanksgiving to our church anniversary
Special Hymn
Scripture John 14:6
Prayer
Sermon “Step on me and Go”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 534
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude
*No sermon script posted today.
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